Four Fools Gold Wedding B a n d s
by Schermionie
Summary: But no fools to speak of now. - Neville/Victoire, a gift for Morghen.


Disclaimer: First, Harry Potter is in no way mine. And nor are Victoire and Neville. Alas. Second, I'm not claiming this is a proper freeverse, either. I can only seem to write freeverses by accident, and this fic was premeditated. And third, 'exposed on the cliffs of the heart' isn't mine. I took it from a poem with the same name by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Inspiration: The poem 'Wedding-Ring' by Denise Levertov, which is about a woman wondering what to do with her wedding ring now that her marriage has ended.

Thanks to: **tat1312**, for betaing this and just generally being fantastic.

A/N: This is a very very very belated birthday gift for **Morghen**, whom I also have to thank for the pairing (M&Ms aren't just sweets). Truth be told I had it written many months ago, but I hated it. I'm still not fond of it... but it's a gift. I think I'll have to leave it to you to decide what you think, Morghen. ...In any case, I have another little gift for you that I wrote a few days ago, so maybe that'll repair the damage if you hate this.

Sorry that it's so late and that I didn't get you your dream cake. Maybe, er, next year? o_0

Anyway. Enjoy!

* * *

Promises fade o u t like light:

Under the stars man&wife loved,

but those same stars,

around the milky way - well they faded out, and they made way

for **darkness**.

day. night. day.,

the day. .light robbery of her marriage, her marriage

reduced to (checklist):

two broken-hearted lovers-left-behind, living the |truth| after years of |lies|

(Teddy. Hannah.)

two bro _ken_ families, torn-_i n_-two

(her family . his family.)

two -_run-away_- adulterers, exposed on the cliffs of the **h**eart...

(Neville..Victoire)

...and four fool's gold wedding b-a-n-d-s -

_heavy_ on their fingers,

_heavy_ taken off,

_heavy_ with promises which have _f a de d_ o u t

Like Light.

/

Everything was promised...

...**nothing** was gained.

/

And around, around, she twists the ring

around, around, her thoughts go

d **r**.

**n...**** ...o**

**u**

All round.

/

Everything was promised...

...**nothing** was gained.

/

And around, around, she twists the ring

around, around, her thoughts go

d **r**.

**n...**** ...o**

**u**

All round.

/

From '**A**' t o '**H**' - the alphabet of _time_,

the time it takes two people to realise

that what was once there isn't now;

the time it takes to see

that what once promised _can_ be bro _ken_;

the time it takes

for natural processes to do their worst:

Erosion,

Floods,

Longshore Drift

Aw a y from each other; the time it takes,

the time it takes,

the time it takes;

.

The time it takes for her to take off

her ring

and realise that the **mark** it leaves **deep** in her skin is

- after all -

**only skin deep**.

.

The time it takes,

the time it takes,

the time that takes, and takes, and _takes_:

the time it takes to _kill_ her, bit by bit,

the only thing to resurrect her: Neville's s~mil~e.

/

Those letters choked her finger 'til she chucked that time away.

The time it takes to tear the world in t_w_

o

then put it back together again.

Brand n-ew-.

(But can she chuck her _ring_ away?)

/

Everything was promised...

...nothing was gained.

/

And so she sits there, won-de-ring,

what should she do with this old, faded

**r**

**g... ...i**

**n?**

/

Everything was promised...

...nothing was gained.

/

And so she sits there, won-de-ring,

what should she do with this old, faded

**r**

**g... ...i**

**n?**

/

Chosen so carefully,

this ring : now not even a ghostly presence

on her finger;

discarded so carelessly,

the love promised

(nothing) on _this_ love.

yet if it was so

care-

-less,

shouldn't they be

care-

-free?

"I can't wear this again," she whispers to him;

"I can't wear this again," he whispers to her.

/

Their promises _faded o u t_ like light:

Under the **darkness** they loved,

Under the canopies and smoke~screens they loved,

_Buried_ under lies, they loved

through the day. .light robbery of her marriage, they loved,

her marriage reduced to (checklist):

two shattered-crystal pairs of eyes, seeing the |truth| after years of |lies|

(Teddy. Hannah.)

two broke _n_ families, torn-_i n_-two

(her family . his family.)

two -_embracing_- lovers, exposed on the cliffs of their **h**earts...

(Neville..Victoire)

...and four fool's gold wedding b-a-n-d-s -

_heavy_ on their fingers,

_heavy_ taken off,

_heavy_ with promises which have f a d ed _ou_ t

Like Light -

leaving- the **darkness** that they love

under again.

.

Four fool's gold wedding b-a-n-d-s

but no fools to speak of now...

.

...for when Nothing is promised...

...**everything** is gained.

.

...for when Nothing is promised...

...**everything** is gained.

.

...for when Nothing is promised...

...**everything** is gained.

/

_So still__ she __has__ to sit there_,

_won_-de-_ring_.

.

_And still__ she sits there_,

_won_-de-_ring_.


End file.
